Tertiary ActivitiesAccount for the development of tertiary activities in one non-Irish region of your choice.

Tourism As a capital city Paris naturally draws tourists ranging from sight-seers to historical enthusiasts. This city is home to numerous monuments and buildings and areas of interest. The Eiffel tower has daily tours to the top with a restaurant at the top. This iconic monument designed by Gustave Eiffel overlooks the city and the river Seine on which are numerous daily cruises and evening cruises offering dinner and music on board. The Sacre Coeur Cathedral sits on top of Montmartre hill and opens every day to the public. Originally this cathedral was relatively inaccessible as it is atop the highest point in the city however a glass cable car link was built in the 1990s and has further increased the amount of visitors to this attraction. Around the corner is the artist’s quarter and home to the Salvador Dali museum. Other attractions drawing millions of visitors each year are the Louvre Museum (a former railway station) which holds many famous pieces including the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. South of the city lies the palace of Versailles and the world famous Euro Disney is found in the east of the city in Marne de la Valley. In addition famous sites include the Arc De Triomphe, Champs d’Elysees and the Notre Dame Cathedral. In 2008 estimates show that these sites drew in over 25 million visitors. Over 60% of visitors to the Paris Basin come from outside of France which generates over €20 billion each year. This tourism industry is 20% of Frances total GNP which indicates how important this business is to the economy. As a result of tourism hotels, restaurants and other spin-off industries have developed due to the demand for additional services in the region. Towns like Reims and Epernay have grown in size due to the viticulture industry which draws in wine tasters and is home to the famous Champagne houses.

TransportThe transport industry clearly highlights the development of tertiary activities in the Paris Basin. As agriculture, industry and tourism continues to grow the need for a highly developed transport network is in high demand. The development of Euro Disney in the east of the city of Paris brought the RER train line to meet the needs of the millions of visitors to this site. This is part of the SNCF train network in France. The city is home to the Metro system with seven routes linking all areas of the capital and further linking to the outside lines and the TGV (Trans Grande Vitesse = Very fast trains). The city of Paris is home to three international airports: Charles De Gaulle, Orly and Beavais. However the development of this region and France itself can also be clearly seen in the redevelopment of the city of Lille in the north of the Paris Basin. This city became the home to the highest level of unemployment in France in the 1980s as the industrial base closed and services relocated. However, the construction of the Channel Tunnel regenerated the city as Lille was a change over point for travellers on the London – Paris and Paris – Brussels line.The port of Le Harve (“the harbour”) is the mouth of the river Seine and a further example of the level of development of the transport network in this core region. This is France’s second busiest port (after Marseilles) and is the entry and exit point of raw materials and finished products in and out of the region.